How can people think Tyson is overrated?

Just about all fighters who had success in a senior career made changes to their styles, including Ali. His changes weren't as drastic as, say, Foreman who came out a completely different fighter, but he still adapted.

 

From the Berbick to Spinks fights he was an absolute beast with absurd hand-speed, power in either fist, every punch in the arsenal, and the peek-a-boo defense.

He quickly abandoned what made him great, took to booze and cocaine, and went from godlike to good within a few fights. After the prison stint, he was a media hypejob.

Very odd legacy.

 

I have him 7 - 9 all-time.

If that's overrating, then I overrate him.

 

Probably didn’t do a good job of making my point, which is that it’s in the eye of the beholder.

To me top 10 is overrated because I have him below that. To you, my rating (somewhere in 11-20) is underrating him because you have him higher.

 

No, I got your point.

Rating fighters and their careers is a subjective business. Much depends on the criteria used.

I could understand someone rating him as high as four or as low as fifteen.

Higher or lower than that would cause me to scratch my head.

 

If Mike had beaten anyone in his career as great as an under-30 Ali, or gotten off the canvas to beat someone, I'd have him higher, certainly above Frazier. As it is #9 is pretty respectable imo.

Roughly mid 1986-1989 he was unbelievable, untouchable. After that, no.

 

Tyson can get overrated in all time rankings…but in his prime he was one of the greatest fighters ever…unfortunately like Liston once he won it all he stopped caring as much lending to his decline. Had he trained as hard as day one through his career and stayed out of jail he could have been one of the top three HWs ever